Terminal for battery-plates.



T. A. WILLARD.

TERMINAL FOR BATTERY PLATES.

APPLICATION FILED APR.1, 1909.

Patented Jan. 21, 1913.

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" may ere up THEODG'RE A. W'ELLllE/E, LE QLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOE T0 THE WILLARD QQTQRE-WEEE BATTERY GQMPA'NY, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

TERMINAL FOR BATTERY-PLATE$ finalisation filed April 1,

To all whom may concern:

Be it known uhat THEOBORE A. WIL- Lloeo, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Goya hogaand State oi @hio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Terminals for Battery-Plates, or which the creep up the post, and numerous expedients have been tried for preventing this action.

The object of the present invention has been to eliminate the possibility of such an occurrence in the most eiiective manner and to achieve this end by a simple means which does not call for the employment or advice of an expert alter the battery has been placed in the users hands.

The above object will be seen. to be at tained by that embodiment of my invention described in the following specification with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which;

Figure l is a transverse section through a storage battery showing plates with terminals constructed in accordance with my im.-'

provement. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section through one oi the terminals shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is also a vertical section through a terminal of slightly diilferent construction so far as the device for securing the connecting wire is concerned. Fig. 4 is a side-elevation of still another form of terminal, also provided with my improvement.

. l have determined the fact that if 1 provide the terminal posts A, in a zone above the battery solution, with an exterior coating or covering B of vulcanized rubber or similar inert material, so held. and united to the term' i t t no loose joints orcrevi" solution in between Specification of Letters Patent,

1909. Serial No. *LS'LBJEE.

metal of the post, that, although the solution may creep up the terminal to the Zone w iere the rubber is placed, it will not pass beyond. The construction which I prefer to use is that of a terminal post capable of being secured in the ordinary manner to the battery plates and having a reduced neck A with a shoulder A at each end, about which neck may be placed soft rubber, which is afterward vulcanized. Preferably, l serrate the surface of theneck of the post as at A for the. purpose or affording a -greater surface of contact between the soft rubber and the neck and binding the two together more firmly, so as to avoid all looseness of fit. After vulcanization, it will be found that the smooth rubber coating or covering fits tightly in the position into \Vl1lCll it has been pressed, and, owing to its being hardened, quite capable of taking a thread wherever the modification of terminal post is such as to require it, as, for example, in that form shown in T here are, of course, other materials which are the equivalent 0r rubber in this connection, but there are obvious advantages in using rubber which lead me to use it as the prefer able material, but it is essential that the covering sleeve, whatever it be, be not subject to oxidation or scaling by the battery solution, whether the latter be acid or allra line. If any substance be used which can be oxidized or scaled by the solution, or which may already have a rough surface'like that formed in oxidation, it will prove ineffective in practice and practically as objectionable as the ordinary plain metallic terminal post. In the construction shown in Fig. 2 the terminal. has a transverse opening C adapt.- ed to receive a connecting wire which may be clamped in position by a binding screw D. In the modification shown in Fig. 3 the terminal has a transverse opening C for the connecting wire which may be clamped securely in position by means of an internally threaded cap E wh1ch may be screwed onto the upper end of the rubber layer B. In the modification shown in Fig. lthe terminal has at its upper end an eye F provided with an opening adapted to receive a screw or other member for securing the connection' Having described my invention, I claim: The combination in a storage battery, a battery plate, a casing inclosing the plate and adapted to contain battery solution, a 5 cover for the casing, and a terminal post for v the plate extending upwardly through the cover, said post comprising a metallic body having means for preventing creepage of battery solution along the post above said 10 cover to the point of connection of a con- THEODORE A. WILLARD.

Witnesses:

H. R. SULLIVAN, J. M. VVoonwARo.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of I'ate ntl, Washington, D. G. 

